Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

 

Can you imagine having a friend offering his peace, knowing he will be tortured and executed only hours later? Can you imagine having a friend who cares so much for you—is so concerned about your well-being—that his thoughts are more with you than the horrors that will soon befall him?

He cares more about your peace than he worries about the suffering he will face.

We have such a friend in Jesus. But the peace he granted his disciples, and grants to all who follow him, did not come cheaply. It cost him his life. He died to take away our sins. If we have unrepented sins, we will not have the kind of peace Jesus offers here.

What kind of peace does he give?

Jesus wants to give us the peace only he can give. His peace will help us remain calm, despite troubles and turmoil we might be going through. It’s an inner contentment, despite the chaos around you.

Jesus’ peace is not like the world’s peace. The world’s peace is not true peace. It’s external, not rich and deep. It does not remain, but comes and goes.

In the Old Testament, there’s a familiar word for peace: “shalom.” Shalom has been used as a greeting by Jewish people since way back in the book of 1 Samuel.

Shalom is an all-encompassing word meaning: a wish for completeness, contentment, fulfillment, and prosperity on all levels. In other words, it’s wishing you all that’s good to come flowing into your life. Shalom.

That sound like a pretty good definition of Christ’s peace to me.

“Shalom!”

marja